Pizza Masterclass with Young Levain
We've so stoked to be hosting this Pizza Masterclass run by Rupert McDonald aka Young Levain. Armed with just a pair of Ooni's he's a one-man pizza shop, hosting pop-ups, private pizza parties and classes around his native Perth, and now he's brought his skills over to Melbourne.
We'll be covering off everything you need to know about pizza dough, from flour selection, sourdough vs yeast, toppings, oven set-up and fuel choice, all while you make your own dough. We'll also chat about sourdough bread and getting the most out of your pizza oven.
With plenty of time for cooking (and eating) your own creations, plus answering all your tough questions, you'll be left with everything you knead to know to take your pizza game to the next level.
"Rupert McDonald long dreamed of making pizza his side, or even main, hustle. For the past two years the former baker at Wines of While has made pizzas for family and friends using the Ooni pizza oven he received as a 21st birthday present. In January, McDonald went public with his love of pizza and launched his Young Levain pop-up.
Considering McDonald made a living turning out Wines of While’s gloriously dark and chewy sourdough, it should surprise no one that Young Levain hangs its hat on sourdough pizzas, or that our man has slipped some wholemeal and rye flour into his dough to produce a complex, toothsome base.
“You don’t realise how delicious dough can be until you go down that rabbit hole of using different flours in naturally leavened dough,” says McDonald, who ferments his dough for between 48 and 72 hours. “When you go back to eating a yeasted dough made with your classic double-zero flour, you miss the sourness and nuttiness you get with sourdough.”